VILLAGES REACH AN AGREEMENT ABOUT JOINT VIDEO EQUIPMENT

The tug of war between Willowbrook and Burr Ridge over jointly owned video equipment may be near an end, now that the villages have agreed on a way to part company.

Years ago the villages bought $54,000 worth of video equipment to experiment with televising village board meetings on cable access WBBR. Burr Ridge liked the coverage, but Willowbrook decided to abandon it.

As a result, the villages have had a drawn-out battle over what to do with the equipment. Under a new agreement, Burr Ridge will sell the equipment via a sealed bidding process, but it has reserved the right to cancel the sale if it decides it is getting a raw deal.

After months of negotiations, the Willowbrook Village Board has agreed.

"At least we would know what the (true value) is," said Trustee Robert LaMontagne. "Right now we're dealing with 8-year-old--I would say obsolete--equipment, and we just don't know what it's really worth anymore."